Mermaid Makes a Splash at the Moonlight Ride
Heather Walsh's Little Mermaid costume was a hit at the 2011 Anthem Moonlight Ride, but her journey to the race wasn't always a fairy tale.
By: RaShauna Hobbs
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It’s not every day that you get to see the Little Mermaid riding a bike through Richmond.
But at the 2011 Anthem Moonlight Ride, Heather Walsh donned the well-known Disney costume and jumped on her bike to take part in the ride, as well as display her adventurous and generous spirit to the 2,000 other participants in the event.
Walsh’s journey to the Moonlight Ride wasn’t a total fairy tale, though, and involved challenges and adversity along the way. In 2004, she learned that her brother-in-law, Tom, needed a liver transplant due to congenital scarring of his liver. His situation was worsening, and without the transplant he would need surgery twice a year to treat the condition.
When Tom had no luck securing a transplant from a donor list, Walsh was tested and confirmed to be a match, giving her brother-in-law the vital organ he needed. But Tom also needed something else from her, which would come after the surgery.
“Tom made me promise that if we made it through the transplant, I would run a marathon with him,” Walsh said. “I wasn’t active, and, at the time, didn’t even know how long a marathon was!”
Those were minor concerns at the time, and after the successful procedures and months of recovery, the two stuck to their promises, began training, and eventually completed their first marathon together in 2005. “I loved that feeling I had when crossing that finish line,” Walsh said, and it has led to her participation in numerous other events (73 to be exact), including the Moonlight Ride. “Since that first race, I have not stopped running and being physically active.”
The story behind the mermaid costume involves family as well – Walsh wore it to a surprise birthday party for her niece, whose favorite Disney character was Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid.’ When Walsh learned more about the Moonlight Ride, featuring the Blue Moon Costume Contest, crazy light displays, and a great post-race party, she knew the outfit would be a perfect fit for the race.
And of course it was a hit with the other riders, bringing even more enjoyment to the Moonlight Ride and allowing Walsh to combine two of her favorite things: helping others and staying active.
The 2012 Anthem Moonlight Ride is Saturday, August 4th at 8:00pm. More information can be found at www.sportsbackers.org.